Debate topics: August 2002

Hello Oz. I'm also lurking from Canada, I've been reading the detailed messages on IL evaluation with a mix of fascination and exhaustion. Why exhaustion? Among other things, the sheer time involved in doing portfolio assessment (which, btw, I think is a fine idea when all the right factors are in place to do it).

The University of Winnipeg is a small campus (I know, I lived in Wpg for 25 years and took a course there once). I believe it's easier for smaller campuses and colleges to have a position of IL co-ordinator, or something similar, thus having someone in place to direct such a program, together with extended evaluation(s) whenever possible. On a larger campus like ours (32 000 students, six major libraries, some smaller ones), I don't think this is feasible or even warranted. Karen, I envy that your position exists, and that one or more librarian is devoted primarily to working on instructional issues. This is not the case here, and I don't think it could be, frankly. Instruction on a campus this size is divided by its subject libraries. We do have an InfoLit Team that meets to discuss instruction issues, and to co-ordinate our basic library skills instruction in the fall and winter terms. Karen, I envy your position and that you can devote time to such things as portfolio assessment, but wonder how positions such as yours would work on a large campus. If anyone has such experiences, I'd be happy to know about it.

I also think it's easier (or more manageable) for smaller colleges to offer mandatory first-year classes on topics like university life, research skills, critical thinking, problem solving, ethics, academic integrity, etc., into which librarians can provide input and collaborate on inclusion of an information literacy component. I attended a conference at U Iowa in 1999 and learned about colleges offering such courses in collaboration with librarians. Again, on a large campus, these courses tend not to exist, except on a faculty or departmental level. We had such a course in Agriculture/Foresty/Home Ec some years ago, but it was dropped because it wasn't a credit course. I do wish we would consider such courses, however, as I believe they are valuable and critical to students' successes later in their university and personal lives.

I teach a number of classes in Chemical, Materials and Mechanical Engineering. Some of the classes are similar (design), some basic (intro to chemical processing industry). In each case, I consider it a major accomplishment that we have even made it into the classroom. To do a detailed assessment would be difficult because of time and staff constraints. This year in Chem Eng 365 http://www.ualberta.ca/CMENG/courses/che365/ , a design class, I am trying a number of different ways to reach the students, including having two links placed on the departmental course page, one that takes them to the subject resource guide in chem eng, and one that opens up an e-mail to me, called 'Ask the ChE Librarian'.

I support evaluation and outcomes assessment 100 per cent. I know that to execute outcomes assessment in research skills instruction is time-consuming and staff-intensive, but not impossible. It's a question of priorities. (There is a good recent article available on outcomes assessment: Carter, Elizabeth W. 'Doing the Best You Can With What You Have:' Lessons Learned from Outcomes Assessment. J Acad Libr v28 n1 Jan-Mar 2002, pp36-41.)

I don't know when I might find time to do a serious outcomes assessment. To me, the best outcomes assessment would cover a period of at least two years, preferably beyond the students' university days and into their careers. Are the research skills they (may have) learned in university, as taught by librarians, having an impact on their careers? In Chem Eng 365, I explain that the development of research skills can be important in their professional lives in the chemical industry, and highlight this with 10-15 examples. But beyond that, the students focus on their assignments and getting good marks, aware that they can contact me or other library staff for help along the way. This year I hope to return to the class to find out if they took advantage of the resource guide, the links on their course page, etc.

In our Library System, we are charged with, among many other things, integrating information literacy into the curriculum by 2004. This is open to many different interpretations. What is information literacy? I am aware of the Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education, and use them as general guidelines when creating my sessions. Within my library (Science and Technology), our goal is to offer at least one instruction class in as many 'appropriate' undergraduate classes as possible and where warranted, without duplicating it elsewhere. A list of the courses in which we offer instruction is here http://www.library.ualberta.ca/instruction/science/index.cfm .

There is another issue that concerns me, and knowing that I am treading on Sacred Librarian Ground here. Let me proceed by suggesting that the use of the term 'information literacy' is, to most students, irrelevant and meaningless, as is the term 'bibliographic instruction'. These days, I'm leaning towards the expression 'research skills', or even the dreaded 'library instruction'. To US, these terms are important and have meaning.

Another example might be this: 'virtual reference' is a term that has appeared recently and is now everywhere. We have chosen to use the phrase 'Ask Us a Question (Chat)', which for the average student has much more meaning because of the inclusion of the word 'chat'. I'm thinking that if I open my classes by suggesting what I am about to teach are basic research skills (and evaluation hints), I might have a better chance of holding the students' attention for the duration. Mention 'information literacy' to a student, and you might as well be staring into the eyes of a chicken.

I'll sign off now, and wait for any responses that might require me to dress in full body armour.

Randy Reichardt
Science and Technology Library
1-26G Cameron Library
University of Alberta
Edmonton AB T6G 2J8 CANADA

Dear Randy and group,

I think you make an interesting and valid point at the end about relevancy and terminology. And no body armour required on this list, as far as I'm aware, you're standing there with naked thoughts letting it all hang out :-).

Good on you for stepping out and being bold.

Graeme Oke
Science Subject Liaison Librarian
Victoria University of Technology
Werribee Campus (W044)

Randy, in response to your query/comments:

The University of Winnipeg is a small campus (I know, I lived in Wpg for 25 years and took a course there once). I believe it's easier for smaller campuses and colleges to have a position of IL co-ordinator, or something similar, thus having someone in place to direct such a program, together with extended evaluation(s) whenever possible. On a larger campus like ours (32 000 students, six major libraries, some smaller ones), I don't think this is feasible or even warranted. Karen, I envy that your position exists, and that one or more librarian is devoted primarily to working on instructional issues. This is not the case here, and I don't think it could be, frankly. Instruction on a campus this size is divided by its subject libraries. We do have an InfoLit Team that meets to discuss instruction issues, and to co-ordinate our basic library skills instruction in the fall and winter terms. Karen, I envy your position and that you can devote time to such things as portfolio assessment, but wonder how positions such as yours would work on a large campus. If anyone has such experiences, I'd be happy to know about it.

We'd be an example of one of those large universities where I believe this concept works very well (I think! Hope!).

QUT has 36 000 students, 4 campuses, 1 Information Literacy co-ordinator and 23 Liaison Librarians. It works. We're a team of individuals but we work as a collaborative and co-operative information literacy body with many hands, feet and multiple brains. As the ILC, I couldn't do anything useful on my own but with a team of professionals like the ones that work here, anything is and has been possible.

Obviously I would argue that a co-ordinator position is warranted, if not absolutely necessary - I'd be mad not to! But I would hope our Liaison Librarians would at least agree that a position like this has made things easier for them in terms of IL, although our intensive focus on information literacy has unquestionably increased their workload 100-fold. While their focus is divided between a range of critical areas (eg: reference and collection development), a fulltime co-ordinator has the latitude and brainspace to focus on one thing, provide critical support and guidance when and where necessary and provide linkages between people, projects and activities. It saves double handling and reinvention.

And I'm not sure 'directing' is the most accurate or desirable description of a role such as mine. It implies a forceful push from behind by one person - I would like to think that what happens here is a result of collaborative momentum. Perhaps leadership is a better term and concept than direction or management?

But this reply digresses from the assessment topic of this forum - my apologies Mandy! I'd be interested to hear how other co-ordinator roles and team approaches work as well but that is a discussion for another forum perhaps... For this reason, I'll leave the 'library instruction'/terminology debate alone as well - that's a year's worth of circuitous, unresolvable discussion right there!

June - thank you for the Lincoln info... I'll be following those links for sure!

And I'll be sure to pay more attention when next I mention 'information literacy' to a student - is it a chicken or an egg at which I stare? ;-) Now there's an ambiguous closing comment for y'all to ponder - or not!

Cheers,

Judith
Information Literacy co-ordinator
Office of the Library Director
j.peacock@qut.edu.au
Queensland University of Technology

Hi Everyone,

Loving the conversation!

Assessment is one of my 'hobby horses' with information literacy. I think the points made about what is assessment and what is evaluation cannot be said enough. Too often I hear people saying they assess their courses but what they are doing is evaluating them. They are not taking on assessment of the learning. It isn't always easy to do. I agree with Randy that if you are in a large institution and have large numbers of students involved - there are implications for delivery of programs within a curriculum and what type of assessment tools you use. But if you don't do the assessment - how can you know what you are doing is effective and of benefit to the students. There is also the political aspect of being able to prove the value of your programs and being able to use the results for advocacy of IL.

However, doing assessment brings up a number of 'crunch points' that have to be addressed and too often I think we are expected, as librarians, to take on this teaching role and absorb the implications. What issues I am talking about are:

Time for planning programs, thinking of effective assessment tools or work with faculty to build the IL components into their programs and assessment procedures, structuring the learning to meet the demands of the assessment.
Time to deliver the sessions themselves.
(THE BIGGIE) time to do the assessment marking or feedback or presentations etc. Time to do whatever the assessment tool requires of you.

How many of us also have other duties in our jobs to fit in (desk work, collection development, liaising with academics on other issues and services, attending meetings and being on committees or working projects to name a few)?

Also there is the whole issue of education of librarians to be able to do such things as programming, assessment. How many library/information science schools have programs to teach librarians about teaching? How many librarians have picked up their teaching knowledge and techniques on the job? That sometimes doesn't ensure exposure to what types of assessment tools are available and to be able to administer them with the relevant theoretical framework. Having a IL co-ordinator on staff can certainly help with this as they often have a focus in their job on the professional development of library staff.

I know I am coming back in a circle to many of the points Judy (and others) raised in the debate last year but they still have a place here. I have a couple of colleagues who have told me stories of having to be up until the early hours of the morning marking because they had no time during the working day to do it. Being available for appointments with students for feedback on work and so on. The environmental issues do need to be considered.

But I am all for getting assessment into our programs,

Regards

Linden Fairbairn
University of Sydney Library

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